LAHORE: Debutant Aamir Jamal held his nerves calm to defend 15 runs off the final over as he leaked just nine runs to power Pakistan to a thrilling six-run victory over England in the fifth T20I of the seven-match series before wicketkeeper batter Mohammad Rizwan shone with a valiant knock of 63.
Set to chase 146, England fell just six runs short of the victory as the Pakistani bowlers displayed combined effort to reduce the touring side to 139/7 in the allotted 20 overs.
The touring side had a dismal start to their run chase as they lost three wickets for a paltry 31 in the first five overs with Alex Hales, Phil Salt, and Ben Duckett walking back to the pavilion cheaply.
Dawid Malan then looked to anchor the run chase with Harry Brook and added 23 runs for the fourth wicket before Shadab Khan trapped the latter in his legs in the ninth over. He could score just four off nine deliveries.
Malan’s stay at the crease also remained brief following Brook’s dismissal as he fell victim to Iftikhar Ahmed, who trapped him plumb for 36. The left-handed batter faced 35 deliveries and could hit six boundaries.
Following the slump, England’s skipper Moeen Ali stood up for his team and top-scored for the side with a handy 51 not-out off just 37 deliveries but he too, could not power the touring side over the line as England fell six runs short of the victory as they finished at 139/7 in 20 Overs.
For Pakistan, Aamir, Haris Rauf, Shadab, Mohammad Nawaz, Iftikhar, and Mohammad Wasim Jr made one scalp each.
Batting first on the invitation of England captain Moeen, the home side was off to a poor start as their captain Babar Azam perished cheaply for nine.
Following the early slump, Shan Masood and Rizwan looked to script recovery as they added a gritty 25 runs for the second wicket. The pair appeared to have settled but Shan failed to execute a ramp shot off David Willey. He scored seven off eight deliveries.
Following his dismissal, the side began to lose wickets at a frustrating rate and only Iftikhar Ahmed and Aamir Jamal managed to amass double-figures besides top-scorer Rizwan, who carried his bat till the 18th over.
The top-ranked T20I batter scored 63 off 46 deliveries with the help of two boundaries and three sixes.
Mark Wood led the bowling attack for England as he returned with bowling figures of 3/20, while Sam Curran and David Willey bagged two each. Chris Woakes, on the other hand, struck out a batter.
